Tassies

I was baking my regular pecan tassies per the recipe, but ended up with extra dough for the actual shells, so I decided to throw some different ingredients in them just for the heck of it. In addition to the pecans, I made one version with ham and parmesan cheese, one with lemon curd, and one with chopped kalamata olives and feta. Mmmm… I’d say my favorite after the pecan was the lemon curd. The ham and cheese came out a little dry, and I didn’t realized the feta wouldn’t melt and become gooey. But all-in-all, these were fun to try, taste, and of course photograph 🙂

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Orangesicle Cake

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Party time!

Thank you, Sweetapolita, for this lovely Orange Party Cake Recipe! I was intrigued by the summery theme for a good, light dessert for a joint birthday party. And I am a big fan of your Pastel Swirl Technique Video Tutorial! I still have a lot of practice ahead of me; Mine don’t turn out nearly as beautiful and perfect as yours, but celebrations make the perfect excuse to practice.

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First layer down with filling on top

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All layers and fillings ready for crumb coat

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Voila! frosted, complete with flower on top. I picked up these adorable flowers at Miette in San Francisco.

Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

I have more fun with my letter sugar cookie cutters than just about anything else I think! I wanted to make something personalized and special for Lindsey’s birthday, so I made these cupcakes with chocolate-dipped letter/candle toppers 🙂

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Birthday Box of cupcakes

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Friends!

Race Car Cake… inspired by true events

My boyfriend and I made a race car birthday cake, reminiscent of our friend’s actual race car. Our friend has been working on maintaining what started out as a 1986 Chevrolet Chevette suitable for racing at events, such as the ChumpCar race that takes place at Portland International Raceway. In his first race, he won the trophy for the “Spirit of ChumpCar”! You can follow his facebook page here!

The car itself has gone through quite a series of transformations as far as paint jobs, decor, tires, other parts and engines are concerned; besides tires, he is even known for switching out engines mid-race!

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We sculpted the double-layer chocolate cake, and decorated accordingly….

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Beginning to take shape…

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Crumb coat complete…

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Final frosting layer complete

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Side 1 View

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Front View

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Side 2 View

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Back View

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Vrooooooom!!

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At the party, he made yet another engine switch….

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…this time with the hatch!

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Duckie Baby Shower Cake

I baked this duckie themed cake for a friend’s baby shower! Once again, I used one of my favorite frosting techniques from Sweetapolita. I found the “Mamma” duckie at a party store, and borrowed the other “baby” duckie magnets from a friend. Honestly, if I made this cake again, I would add a ribbon around the bases or something more subtle and simple. I think it ended up feeling too busy with all the frosting, sprinkles, ducks and what was supposed to be a blue fountain 🙂 One cake was chocolate and the other was my favorite strawberry cake. 

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Bottom layer done….

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Before finishing touches…

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Done!